A Fateful Coffee Run (Medeia)

The answer to that question would come very soon, as the door to the room would open and Medeia would enter. Her appearance would be markedly different now, having reverted back to her more casual look, one that only further accentuated her figure. Wearing a purple dress rather than her previous leotard, she would look far more like a lady of luxury than the intimidating Warlord that she had appeared as before. Even her manner was different, as she moved with a softness that fit perfectly with the gentle decor of the room. She was comfortable here and that would be fairly easy to see.

Turning around to look at her guest, the dark mage would smile, pleased that Jane had seemed to have handled the journey well. Medeia had been concerned, given the blonde’s distaste for rope and she had half expected the woman’s fears to rise to the surface on waking. In fairness though, Jane had been perfectly calm the entire time so perhaps there had been no reason for the witch to worry. Regardless, she was happy enough with how things had played out.

Aware of the effect her appearance might have, she would waste no time in explaining. “Forgive me for the deception but as I am sure you can understand, I feel the need to use a different look while out and about. Yet, when I am here, I always use my true appearance, as it helps to ease any tension or at least I hope it does.”

Walking over to Jane, Medeia would get straight to the point when it came to the woman’s bonds. “I promised you that I would take the ropes off as soon as possible and I intend to do just that. If you would let me help you up then I can get them off of you.” She did not have to ask permission but for the time being, the angel was still playing nice with her guest.

(329 Words)
(10957 TWC)

When Medeia finally entered the room Jane immediately focused on the former and noticed that her appearance had changed drastically from when they had first met. The dark-haired mage looked far less imposing and a lot more poised than she had appeared earlier, but that was not the only change that was easily noticeable. Diana also noticed that her hostess was now wearing an equally elegant purple dress that looked like it cost a small fortune. Considering how the garment fit Medeia it looked like it was custom-made for the Dark mage, but she could be wrong... perhaps at some point the latter might be willing to answer a question or two about the dress.

If it was as expensive as it looked Diana would say the garment was worth the money because it made the other mage look nothing short of gorgeous. Jane began to look at Medeia and as she examined the other mage's real form her face turned a light shade of red because of how the dress drew her attention to her hostess' statuesque form. Diana had never seen anyone like Medeia, who currently embodied an oddly alluring mix of elegance and power. Finally realizing what she was doing, Diana looked down for a few moments to try and give her face time to return to its normal color.

Diana had no idea why she had looked at Medeia like she had, but she could not help but to find the latter to be oddly... attractive, for lack of a better word. The revealing outfit the Warlord had worn in her disguise did not have the same effect on Diana as the dark-haired mage's real form and the beautiful purple dress. The blonde was unable to hide her flustered state, so she would just have to hope that Medeia had not taken offense to being examined like a marble statue in an art gallery.

When Medeia began to speak the first topic she discussed was why she made use of two different forms, something Diana had no problem with considering that she was doing the same thing. Jane kept silent on that topic and listened to the Warlord declare her intent to fulfill the pledge she had made earlier and untie the blonde now that they were at their destination. Jane kept a straight face because she did not want her hostess to catch on to how eager the blonde was to be untied, but on the inside she was pleased to learn that a degree of freedom would soon be hers. All that needed to be done was for Jane to give her approval and Medeia would begin the process of freeing the blonde from her bonds.

Diana knew that she would involuntarily tense up again when touched and that Medeia would likely pick up on that, but the former had no choice but to accept the offer. At this point she had had enough of being bound and wanted to be rid of the unpleasant sensation she was experiencing from the ropes on her skin. Jane made eye contact and nodded her consent because she was still a bit flustered from seeing Medeia wearing a beautiful dress that happened to be in her favorite color and was at a loss for words.

[Post Word Count: 548]
[Diana's Word Count: 6,300]
[Total Word Count: 11,505]

With permission given, Medeia would proceed to help the bound woman to her feet, trying her utmost not to be rough with her. There was no need for it and given the woman’s obvious discomfort, she did not mess around either. Her touch when felt would be gentle and the witch would expertly undo the knots as quickly and effectively as she had tied them. So much so that when she retrieved the rope, it did not even appear to be remotely damaged. Tossing it onto the bed and out of harm's way, the Warlord would then motion for Jane to sit down again, hopefully far more comfortably now.

Sitting in the other chair beside the fireplace, the Warlord would simply watch the woman for a moment, before gently inquiring into what she had thought she had seen previously. “Does my appearance startle you that much? If you find my alternative one more appropriate then I will gladly revert back. I have quite the gift when it comes to transforming my body and can take on pretty much any shape or size that I wish.” She was not deliberately trying to embarrass her guest and was genuinely curious about the slight reddening of her cheeks. Honestly, Medeia was surprised to see much of any reaction from the almost android like blonde. It was, however, a hint that maybe there was something beneath the cold exterior.

As she waited for an answer, the dark haired woman would continue to watch the woman. Medeia could not remember such a calm captive in recent memory. Jane had such control of herself for the most part that the angel could not help but continually muse about the blonde’s past. In order to have such control, a person surely had to undergo intense trauma or training. The woman was certainly strong and perhaps it was simply a case of all of her missions that had made her the woman she was. Yet, Medeia could not be sure and the fact that she was so reluctant to be tied up and seemingly touched, going by her reactions, gave her pause for thought. A part of her was screaming trauma at her and if that was the case then Medeia knew she would be in for a long night.

Sooner or later, she would ask the inevitable questions regarding that but for the time being, the angel focused on simpler matters, deciding to ask something that the blonde would surely be happy to offer her opinion on. “So, what do you think of the place? A lot of my guests seem to find my obsession with purple to be rather overwhelming but I cannot help but adore the colour. I have always been fond of it and even parts of my magic have taken on the same hue.”

(471 Words)
(11976 TWC)

Jane had been freed from her bonds and was feeling a lot more comfortable than she had been. Once she received nonverbal instructions to take a seat the blonde did as she was told. When she was seated she recalled the question that she had been asked and hesitated for a few moments before answering, but her face retained its calm expression, so Medeia might not be able to tell that she needed time to think. Deciding to be honest since she much preferred Medeia's new form, Jane spoke to her hostess.

"I like your current form, Medeia. I also like that dress you are wearing. It is beautiful." Jane answered truthfully. She might be giving Medeia the impression that she was infatuated with her, but the blonde was being completely honest. The Warlord's current form lacked the rough edges of the disguise and was wearing a dress that made her look classy. In Diana's opinion Medeia's current form did not need revealing clothing to make her look attractive, but she had to keep in mind that maybe Medeia liked to wear that style of clothing just like the blonde liked to wear the same casual outfit of purple t-shirt, black skirt, white thighhighs, and tennis shoes almost everywhere she went.

Deciding to ask about the dress since now was as good a time as any, Jane went for it.

"Was that dress custom-made for you?" Jane asked the Warlord with sincere interest. When she was younger Diana would have adored a dress like Medeia's. It was in her favorite color and she could not get over how elegant it looked... the only thing she would have changed about the garment was to make it more modest by showing less cleavage. Her late mother was big on modesty for women and would have slapped her into the next year if she had worn anything that showed as much cleavage as Medeia was showing.

Having been asked her opinion of the space she was currently in, Jane would give another truthful answer.

"This room is visually appealing and not just because it is in my favorite color, Medeia. I like how skillfully a color that is hard to work with was used because the quantity used is just enough to give a tasteful and refined look without being overwhelming. Whoever decorated this room has an eye for interior design." Jane complimented the room and revealed that Medeia was not the only one who liked purple. It had been "her" color since childhood; each Winchester child laid claim to a color they liked and frequently wore at least one garment in "their" color. For example, Lucia liked royal blue, Lucius liked black, Melody liked yellow, and Gloria liked white, but no one else liked purple, so that became Diana's color by default. She thought that Medeia had just chosen purple to give the appearance of having refined tastes, but learning that the Warlord actually liked that color was a genuine surprise to the blonde.

[Post Word Count: 502]
[Diana's Word Count: 6,802]
[Total Word Count: 12,478]

“You do? How sweet of you to say.” Medeia replied with a smile, pleased that her current form was appealing to her guest. The Warlord could never be sure just how her ability to change appearance would affect those she took a liking to and it was always a gamble as to whether it would be to the witch’s advantage or detriment. Tonight, it appeared to be the former which was certainly a plus. In truth, many of her guests seemed to find themselves having trouble looking away from her in her natural form and for a woman as vain as Medeia, it was quite the boost to her already overwhelming confidence.

Jane’s question about the dress was an easy one to answer and Medeia saw no reason to lie about such things. “Indeed. I have a particular dressmaker who I go to whenever I desire something new and she always does such great work. A sister of one of my guildmates if you want to know. She is rather skilled and has a shop in Fiore where she sells her wares. If you ever wish to request something of her yourself, I am sure that I could arrange it for you.”

The answer to her question about her room brought an eyebrow raise from the angel, surprised that Jane would be quite so forthcoming, however, it was a pleasant one. “It is nice to meet someone else who is also fond of the colour. Most of this place is rather drab and those who reside here prefer a rather more dull form of decoration. I appreciate the compliment and it took me quite some time to find someone who could truly bring my vision to life. In the end, I had to travel abroad to find a skilled enough individual. I think it was worth the effort though.”

Feeling it was only fair that she posed a question of her own, Medeia would ask. “Do you come from a wealthy family yourself? I know that we did not talk much about backgrounds back in Crocus but I admit that I am curious.”

(353 Words)
(12831 TWC)

Jane received gratitude for her complimenting of Medeia's current appearance and a possible lead on where she could get a dress like the one her hostess was wearing. Diana hoped that if she did order something she could get it custom-made so that it did not show off quite as much cleavage as the dark-haired mage was showing. While the blonde was not a prude, her mother's teachings and opinions on how a "proper lady" should dress modestly still stuck with her, if only because Elizabeth was a woman who did not shy away from speaking her mind on whatever topic she had an opinion on. Diana also had a few body issues, a handicap that Medeia did not seem to have.

Diana would also need to have the dress cover more of her back so that her scars did not show as easily.

"I agree with you, Medeia. I can truthfully say that I have never seen another room that uses purple as tastefully as this one." Jane paid the Warlord another sincere compliment about her space. Diana had never seen a room with purple as the dominant color, but it had been tastefully incorporated into the space and was so tastefully incorporated that the color looked like it belonged there. Whoever had been hired to do the job was a master of their craft and was worth everything they had been paid.

When Jane was asked about her background the blonde hesitated for a moment before answering. She did not want to give away too much about herself, but she had to give Medeia something so that the good mood was preserved for a little while longer.

"Once upon a time I was from a family that had money. My family was not the wealthiest one around, but we lived very comfortably. I had a falling out with them, though." Jane gave a statement that was mostly true. The blonde had been born into a banking family that had a decent fortune saved away and she really did have a falling out with them due to her being born yet another daughter instead of another son like her mother had wanted. She and her family had been at odds since she was a child, but things really went downhill for her when she got her magic at ten years old. The only detail she had omitted was that everyone in her family except for the oldest daughter was dead, but Medeia did not need to know that yet.

[Post Word Count: 420]
[Diana's Word Count: 7,222]
[Total Word Count: 13,251]

It truly was nice to have a fellow connoisseur of her favourite colour and when Medeia thought about it, Jane might have actually been the first guest she had met who seemed to share her passion for purple. A nice similarity between the two women and the angel hoped that perhaps it was a foot in the door, so to speak. She had to admit that it seemed as though Jane was loosening up a little at this point, which the Warlord was happy to see. Yes, the dark haired woman obviously understood how difficult it was to be in Jane’s shoes but to see her start to relax was pleasant. Honestly, Medeia did not want to play the role of the playful trickster today, as it had not truthfully worked out well for her lately. For now, gentleness seemed to be the way to go.

The information given about Jane’s family was interesting and Medeia honed in a little on each word as it was uttered. It appeared as though there was an unhappy story there which was frankly what Medeia was used to hearing from those she spoke to. Nearly everyone she met seemed to have an unfortunate tale. “I am sorry to hear that. It seems to be a trend among those I meet that family is quite a sore subject. My own is not all that much better so I can understand the frustration that such issues can bring. You seem to be doing rather well for yourself despite them. To become as powerful a mage as you are is no small feat, after all.”

Thinking about it, she was briefly reminded of another woman that she had spoken to rather recently. She had come from a wealthy family as well and the situation had been rather an unpleasant one. Medeia knew that Lucia was tough but there were still moments where the Warlord reckoned that the blonde in question had been deceiving her somewhat or at least hiding something. Should Medeia have been tougher with her to find out the truth? Perhaps but the chance had gone now and as far as she knew, Lucia was happy and wandering the world again, as free as a bird.

With the other blonde in mind, Medeia did not see any harm in mentioning it, speaking in an off hand manner. “You do not happen to have an older sister who did her best to keep the peace, did you? My last guest had quite a difficult relationship with her loved ones too.”

(425 Words)
(13676 TWC)

"Parting ways with my family was one of the best decisions of my life." Jane told most of the truth on that matter. Back home Diana was treated with indifference from her older sisters Ashley and Olivia and treated with abuse and contempt from her mother, her older sister Melody, and her older brother Lucius. While Lucia did her best to comfort her youngest sister and Katrina, Gloria, and Jessica helped when they could, they could not totally offset the abuse she suffered mostly because she suffered so much of it so often. Hardly a day went by that the youngest Winchester sister was not slapped, shoved to the floor, or hit by their mother with whatever household object was handy.

Jane did not readily believe Medeia's claim of having family issues of her own because it seemed like the Warlord was trying to fabricate a common ground so that she could pave the way for asking tougher, more sensitive questions. It also did not help that the blonde was wary of the Warlord simply because the dark-haired mage was a Warlord. Diana could not deny that Medeia had been nice to her so far, but there was always the possibility that the latter could change without warning and show how she became a Warlord. Jane did not dare voice her distrust, though.

"There was an older sister who spent much of her time trying to keep the household running in some semblance of order. She did not always succeed, but that failure was never because of a lack of effort on her part." Jane told a partial truth. She did have an older sister who had the unenviable task of running an entire household with virtually no support from their actual parents, but said older sister had a lot of help from another sister who helped out whenever she could. Lucia did her best to keep the Winchester household going with a minimum of friction, but sometimes Lucius and Melody made things difficult just because they could. They were Mother's Favorites and they knew their mother would never discipline them, so they behaved as they wished because they never had to fear consequences for slapping, punching, or shoving their younger siblings for no good reason. The parental favoritism was so strong that the only way Melody could get in trouble for anything was to wear revealing clothing like a crop top and short shorts, a short skirt, or the sort of "outfit" Medeia's disguised form was fond of wearing.

[Post Word Count: 420]
[Diana's Word Count: 7,642]
[Total Word Count: 14,096]

Medeia listened keenly as Jane spoke about her family situation a little more. It painted a picture of unpleasantness indeed and the angel could understand that woman’s desire to break away from her kin. The Warlord had been forced to take a more drastic step in order to do the same and the blood of her family was all over not just her own hands but her maids as well. It had taken them both to complete the deed but when all was said and done, they were successful. The castle with which they had once lived was now empty, except for ghosts of the past.

Her comment about an older sister had been said in jest but when Jane confirmed it, Medeia became just a tad more interested in the fact. From what she had heard, Lucia had a number of younger siblings who she had taken of and considering how unpleasant her past had been, it would not take too much sleuthing for the cogs in the woman’s mind to turn. Was there the chance that perhaps she had inadvertently struck gold, so to speak? If so, then her interest in Jane would increase even further.

For a moment, Medeia was unsure if she just cut to the chase or not but when she considered the fact that Jane seemed to prefer a more direct approach, the angel would decide to move forwards. “Does the name Winchester mean anything to you? I only ask because your older sister sounds an awful lot like Lucia, the last woman who spent an evening in this room with me. She was rather reluctant to speak much about her past which left me awfully curious. Such a sweet and caring girl, she even adored my maid's coffee, which is something I thought I would never live to see.” Her tone was humorous in nature although the witch was most definitely listening carefully at this stage. There was a difference in look between Lucia and Jane but that did not mean that there was not a chance.

(344 Words)
(14440 TWC)

Jane listened carefully to what Medeia said about Lucia and remained calm despite hearing her older sister's name brought up. However, it took her slightly longer than a second to finally speak because she had to suddenly exert a lot of effort to maintain her poker face and calm body language. If Medeia were paying enough attention she might have picked up on that brief delay.

"Winchester?" Jane asked calmly. The blonde had no idea her older sister had already had the misfortune of being a "guest" of the Warlord's, but the Winchesters did not keep in touch like they should. Maybe it was for the best because Diana had managed to keep her connection to Lucia secret just a little longer, but she had reason to doubt that her subterfuge could last for the entire visit with the Warlord.

"I cannot say that I know that name, Medeia. I also know nothing about this "Lucia" you brought up. However, if her nature is as pleasant as you make it sound, she sounds like a good person to know." Jane replied calmly and with no obvious signs of distress on her voice, her face, or her body language. Diana had long ago considered breaking contact with her older sister to protect the latter from her enemies, but it sounded like Medeia had already gotten to Lucia. It had pained her to even consider the idea and she had spent quite a bit of time agonizing over it, but eventually Diana decided that it was best if she and Lucia remained apart.

Diana was not going to drag Lucia back into the past by letting her older sister care for her like the latter had done when they were still living under the same roof. Lucia had been forced to give up a good many years of her life to care for her siblings and after performing that herculean task for over a decade with virtually no complaint she had more than earned the right to have her own life free of the responsibilities pushed onto her by lazy and apathetic parents. After being absent for so long Diana was not going to just walk back into her older sister's life like nothing had happened and steal that hard-won freedom from her.

Besides, Lucia was the one who deserved to be remembered whenever the name "Winchester" was brought up.

Lucia was a caring and pleasant young woman who had a way with people Diana could never hope to match. She was also a selfless person who would take on any burden if it meant helping someone in need without giving any thought to the possibility of being rewarded for her efforts. In Diana's opinion Lucia was the kind of person the world needed... someone who was selfless and compassionate, someone who healed instead of killed.

[Post Word Count: 474]
[Diana's Word Count: 8,116]
[Total Word Count: 14,914]

There was a slight intensity to the Warlord’s gaze at this point, as though she was trying to see through the impressive front that Jane displayed. The woman gave so little away that it was difficult to find any chinks but just for a second, the angel thought she noticed something, a pause, which allowed the cogs to continue turning. Medeia was not entirely convinced by what she was hearing and a part of her was pushing her into taking a firmer and more ruthless stance when it came to the situation. Yet, her common sense was telling her that there was no need for that just yet. Still, she was not prepared to let the matter drop.

“Are you quite certain? I confess that there is something about you that reminds me of her and she behaved very similarly to you when I made my proposition to her. She was rather calm and graceful too, thinking more about the safety of those around her than her own. I cannot help but wonder.” There was a slight change in tone but it would not be intimidating or anything, just a sign that the Warlord was becoming a tad suspicious.

She was watching the blonde woman carefully and her eyes would briefly look her over but it was not a look that many of her guests usually received. There was none of the lust or desire that was usually there. No, she was simply interested in the woman as a person and with a manner as unusual as Jane’s, it was only understandable.

As she waited for an answer, Medeia would briefly ponder about her previous encounter again, remembering quite fondly her experience with Lucia. The woman had been a sweetheart and Medeia had certainly not been lying about that. She wondered how the slayer was doing now and pondered about whether she should seek her out one day. Armina would no doubt hate to hear that but that would only amuse Medeia more.

(333 Words)
(15247 TWC)

It seemed that the monetary pause between hearing her sister's last name and answering the question had not gone unnoticed by the Warlord, who was now giving a look that indicated she was scrutinizing Jane. The blonde did not flinch, though. Medeia had deceived her with the disguised form, so Diana was only returning the favor by using a disguise of her own and denying any connection to Lucia. It went without saying that there was a chance Diana's deception would backfire, but right now she did not care. If she had not disguised herself and used an alias there might have been a chance of Medeia deciding to kill her on the spot in the streets of Capital Crocus to eliminate someone who could pose a threat to the Warlord's plans.

Now that Diana knew that Lucia had been taken by the Warlord and subjected to the Dark mage's whims she was giving some thought to opposing Medeia because of what had been done to her sister.

"I am sure." Jane replied calmly and with no hesitation this time. Diana had decided to not make contact with Lucia and she had to stick to that choice no matter how badly it hurt the younger Winchester. If she gave up now she would only hurt her older sister by forcing the latter to see Diana for what she really was... a hollow shell of a person who did not feel much of anything and could only pretend to be human.

In contrast to Diana, who did not possess much in the way of altruism or compassion, Lucia was a much better person. Medeia's description of her behavior during their meeting matched what Diana knew about the blue-eyed blonde... Lucia was kind and selfless almost to a fault. The older Winchester would endure any hardship if it meant that someone else's troubles would be solved. Lucia had raised eight siblings and supported two alcoholic parents despite all the headaches, frustration, and tears that doing so had brought to her, so Diana knew that Medeia was not lying when she claimed that Lucia had put the well-being of others before her own.

[Post Word Count: 360]
[Diana's Word Count: 8,476]
[Total Word Count: 15,607]

It would not take an expert in expression reading to tell that Medeia was still not completely convinced and as the Warlord pondered to herself, she mused that she had never actually seen Jane in that mage’s magazine. Usually, all high ranked mages would appear in it eventually but the Warlord could not recall this woman’s face. It was a curious thought and one that she would bear in mind. Her suspicions were rising fast and she was certainly becoming more intrigued by the mysterious woman before her. Just who was she? Beneath the android like attitude. Surely there must be something underneath?

“Very well.” She replied, a hint of doubt most definitely in her tone. “I suppose the similarities could be just a coincidence. I thought for a moment that I had come across a double when I first caught sight of you.” A half truth but nothing more. “I believe you would like Lucia if you met her. She is a rather charming young woman and even treated me with more respect than I probably deserve.”

There was something else that intrigued her and she would stand up after a minute, walking past Jane’s chair and over to her bed. Why? To retrieve the coil of rope that she had bound the woman with. Once she had it, the Warlord would walk behind the blonde’s chair and drop it in her lap. There was another part of the puzzle that was rather missing. The woman’s initial reaction to having Medeia’s soft rope wrapped around her. It was one of the only times so far that the angel had seen any human feeling from the woman.

“You spoke earlier about how much you dislike being tied up and I confess that I did not expect to feel you tremble when I touched you earlier either. Is there something about physical contact that worries you so? I believe it would be wise to let me know if that is the case, as it is…rare that I do not end up touching my guests. Do not misunderstand my intentions though. I have no plans to do anything untoward but I sometimes cannot help but hug them, especially if I feel that they need it.”

She had no idea what mentioning that would do but Medeia was beginning to believe that she should begin to prod just a little more firmly at the woman’s psyche.

(403 Words)
(16010 TWC)

Jane weathered the growing doubt of her hostess with ease. The blonde had a fair amount of experience in the art of deception gained from her previous trade and could withstand a good degree of scrutiny without feeling much concern that her deception would be discovered. However, she had the feeling that eventually her hostess might catch on and deduce her real identity. Medeia was more than a pretty face... she had considerable intelligence and was likely an experienced deceiver herself, so fooling her for the entire visit would be a tall order.

Jane remained calm on the outside but was worried when Medeia walked away and went out of sight somewhere behind her. Moments later an object suddenly landed squarely in the blonde's lap. That unexpected "gift" prompted Jane to look down at it; she reacted as calmly as she could despite seeing a coil of rope, something that she had an intense dislike for. However, her outward calm was not perfect... what might give her away was a slight and momentary clenching of her jaw. Medeia may or may not see it, but Diana could not entirely conceal her intense antipathy towards rope even if it was not tied around her.

Hearing the question that had been asked of her and deciding to not bother concealing the truth, Jane took a moment to come up with an answer.

"I do not like being touched because countless times in the past someone touching me was a prelude to being dealt physical pain." Jane answered with a truthful and to-the-point response without going into specifics. She did not tell how she was slapped, punched, kicked, shoved onto the floor, or shoved down a flight of stairs by abusive family members because that sort of thing was none of Medeia's business... yet. It also sounded a cliche and the cliched nature of the tale was might either bore her hostess to tears or lead her to conclude the blonde was lying and cause the Warlord to drop her pleasant demeanor in favor of one that was much more demanding and aggressive.

[Post Word Count: 350]
[Diana's Word Count: 8,826]
[Total Word Count: 16,360]

The answer was so brutally honest that even Medeia was taken by surprise. How could Jane speak of such things so casually? Just what had gone in her life? Obviously, it had been nothing good and as the Warlord’s eyes fell upon the rope, she put two and two together. Tied to a chair and beaten. That was the answer that she came to and thought of such a fate sent a wave of unbridled rage through the veins of the Warlord. It would be notable in her magical signature and Jane would no doubt be able to sense it, given her own magical strength.

“That certainly explains the reason why although I cannot believe you are able to admit it so easily.” The Warlord replied, beginning to get a grasp of how Jane had coped with it. The woman had shut herself off from her emotions in order to shield herself from the pain or that was how it appeared anyway. It was a rather eye opening realisation and if that was the case then Medeia knew that she was about to open a can of worms, so to speak, if she was going to get to the true heart of the matter.

There was a part of the Warlord who wanted to refrain from pushing harder, even though she knew that it was probably the only real way to go about it. She felt sympathy towards the blonde and did not truly want her to feel any unnecessary pain and yet, Medeia knew that what Jane was doing would in the end, only cause more harm to herself and so witch mused that she needed to have her shell broken, one way or another.

Sighing, Medeia would then go on to ask. “Is that why you said that leaving your family was the best day of your life? Were they the ones who hurt you?” They were not easy questions to ask and the witch did not even know if Jane would give her an answer but the angel believed that it could well have been the case. It added up.

(353 Words)
(16713 TWC)

Medeia's verbal response to Jane's answer about why being touched was something she could not stand almost made it sound like the Warlord actually cared. Jane ignored the theatrics of the dramatic change to the Warlord's magic signature and how it suddenly gave off a feeling best described as "angry." Diana had lived with her unpleasant past for so long no amount of sympathy from anyone was going to reduce the effects of what had happened to her, especially not the false sympathy of a Warlord.

At first Jane wanted to say something like "Do not ask a question you do not want the answer to" or something along those lines, but that would likely get her in deep trouble and ruin the good mood sooner than she would like. Instead the blonde put some thought into what she was going to say next. When she finally had something that might not anger her hostess Jane spoke.

"It is like when you asked about the rope earlier. I decided it was best not to beat around the bush." Jane answered calmly and without sarcasm to tell Medeia why the blonde had chosen honesty over trying to conceal the truth. Well, the truth on that matter, anyway. Diana was still concealing her true identity and her connection to Lucia, but those were the big secrets she was trying to protect for as long as possible. Medeia had already pretty much figured out the blonde's aversion to being touched and her intense dislike of rope, so giving up those secrets was a calculated risk she was willing to take if she could hide the more important ones for a little bit longer.

When asked if her family happened to be the ones behind the blonde's abuse Jane had to think over her response carefully... the issue was not what the answer would be. Rather, it was what the answer would likely lead to. If pressed for a story Jane was concerned that Medeia would not take kindly to being told a cliched tale and punish the blonde by tying her up again or subjecting her to even worse punishments. Despite her current pleasant behavior Medeia was a Warlord and Diana was certain that the Dark mage had plenty of ways to get back at someone she believed had disrespected her or otherwise denied her what she wanted.

As much as Diana did not want to tell Medeia that her family was responsible for what was done to her, there was really no one else to blame. There was no convenient scapegoat to take the heat off of her family like an enemy of hers since she had few enemies. However, Jane would make it clear that not everyone was guilty.

"Certain members of the family were the main perpetrators of the abuse." Jane calmly gave her answer to the question. Now that she had given the Warlord what the latter was after there was the possibility that from this point on things would only get tougher for her. Even if that were the case Diana had no choice but to do her best to endure whatever happened next.

[Post Word Count: 526]
[Diana's Word Count: 9,352]
[Total Word Count: 17,239]

It was startling to hear such things be spoken about in such a calm and casual way. Jane spoke as though she did not care about her own background, something that Medeia could not believe. To have experienced such suffering must have done a great amount of harm to the blonde woman and the Warlord’s mind naturally came back to the theory that it had caused Jane to thoroughly repress her emotions altogether, to protect herself. It was a thoroughly unpleasant state of affairs and if the angel had not already been tempted to try and do something about it, she most certainly was now. Whether Jane believed her or not, Medeia did care about her guests, in her own unusual way.

The next question she asked was rather simple but it was the natural one to ask in the mind of the witch. Whether the blonde woman would actually give her an answer would be hard to say but the Warlord would try anyway. For the time being, she would remain gentle, as Jane had not given her a reason to act any differently. From what the dark haired woman could tell, the woman was being truthful with her, which was all the angel could honestly ask for at this point.

“Why would your own family do such things?” Medeia asked, still a little stunned by Jane’s honesty, even if she did appreciate it. Truthfully, the angel knew all too well just how horrible family members could be and her own relationship with her kind had been anything but pleasant. Arguments, fights and eventually her banishment had come from it and why? Simply because she had been different from them, with a mind far more open than the lot of them.

Walking around to the front of the woman’s chair, the Warlord would look upon her, unable to read much from Jane’s body language. “You have repressed your own emotions in order to shield yourself from the pain. It all makes sense to me now. Your calm nature, the lack of tone in your voice, your brutal honesty. Somehow, you have managed to hide them deep within and locked them up tight.”

If she was right, it spoke volumes about just how much suffering Jane must have been forced to endure and Medeia pondered whether it was truly wise to go in too deeply into the woman’s past. The Warlord could accidentally do more damage rather than help undo it. She had a method to do so but was it worth it?

(423 Words)
(17662 TWC)

"Because my mother wanted a son but got a daughter instead. Because I was one of the youngest children in the household and a couple of the older siblings took asserting their dominance way too far. Because my mother felt that every mistake and misstep needed to be punished with physical violence." Jane provided three truthful answers to Medeia's question in a calm voice that had no sarcasm whatsoever. At first glance it seemed like the Warlord was genuinely concerned about the blonde, but Diana strongly doubted it. Medeia would likely do anything to get what she wanted and if it took faking concern for someone else she would pretend to be the most caring person in existence.

The truth of the matter was that Jane did not want nor need Medeia's sympathy. Diana had long passed the point of needing it. However, she had no choice but to put up with her hostess' attempts to pretend to actually care about someone else if she ever wanted to get out of here.

When Medeia took a guess at the reason for Jane's eerily calm behavior the blonde wanted to clap slowly to "reward" the Dark mage's powers of deduction, but there were two very good reasons she did not do that. First, she did not indulge in sarcasm. Second, such a mocking response would only get her in trouble. A safer course of action would be to give a reply that was not passive-aggressive or sarcastic.

"I have come to accept what happened to me as something that cannot be changed no matter how much I wish it had never happened." Jane replied calmly and truthfully. She supposed that Medeia wanted to see her suddenly put her face in her hands before starting to scream and cry, fall onto the floor and sob so loudly that she could wake the dead, or curl up in a ball on the floor and just lay there in silence. The blonde would do no such thing. She was fairly certain Medeia would enjoy seeing a dramatic emotional response to her guess, but the Warlord would get no such pleasure from Jane.

[Post Word Count: 358]
[Diana's Word Count: 9,710]
[Total Word Count: 18,020]

The answers given were ones that Medeia could have applied to her own father and that as much as anything caused the angel’s anger to increase. She knew better than most what it was like to have been punished for being a woman rather than a man and to hear such things happening to another made her well and truly sick. A part of the witch wished to know who this woman’s family was, just so that she could get her hands on them herself. There was little mercy for those who behaved in such ways. Not with her.

Her mood did not improve as Jane spoke about having come to terms with the situation. That was simply unacceptable in the mind of the dark mage. Such a situation was not one that could merely be shrugged away and judging from the bizarre state the blonde woman was in, the effects of doing such things were clearly not right. A traumatic childhood had to be faced and handled with care, not swept under the rug.

“You cannot change the past but shutting yourself off emotionally from it is only going to do more harm than good. I honestly do not believe that you have accepted it and have decided to simply bury it all instead. That is not something you can do forever, Jane, it will simply become more painful when you eventually erupt, so to speak.”The Warlord replied honestly.

Pausing for a second, she would then resume. “Perhaps that was why we happened to meet, hmm? Maybe you need someone to help you face these past demons of yours?” There was a different tone at that point as Medeia considered what she was going to do next. “I have a method that I can use to bring such feelings to the surface but it is not one that will be all that pleasant. I cannot bear to see you remain as you are now though so I am most definitely considering it.”

(333 Words)
(18353 TWC)

Jane could not believe that Medeia was trying to give her life advice. To the best of her knowledge Medeia was not a certified mental health professional, just an amateur with an opinion and a belief that her "wisdom" needed to be heard. Diana sat in silence and thought about what was being said while wondering why the Warlord even pretended to care about her past.

If Medeia thought that she was going to win Diana over by playing the sympathetic listener and doling out some advice before healing her of a "problem" the latter did not really have she was mistaken. Diana had no interest in interacting with Medeia any more than she had to and she was definitely not interested in become the Warlord's friend. The blonde had gotten free from her mother over four years ago and had no intention of trading one master for another.

Jane heard Medeia describe to the former the futility of refusing to really confront her past and remained calm despite the slight indignation she felt at receiving unsolicited advice. Her indignation was momentarily overwhelmed by disbelief when the Warlord went so far as to hypothesize that the blonde's emotional baggage was the reason the two mages managed to find one another. That was a remark of questionable intelligence from someone who was actually rather intelligent, but Diana supposed that everyone made a mistake now and then.

All of what Jane had heard up to this point did not prepare her for Medeia's last remark, which was talk of a means to drag the former's hidden emotions out of the darkness and bring them into the light of day. The blonde was not happy to hear that because it sounded like her choice in the matter was going to be taken from her just so that the Warlord could feel like she was helping someone. Diana did not need the Dark mage's sympathy, advice, or help, but it seemed like she was going to get all three items whether she wanted any of them or not.

"I am not seeing why my past is of any interest to you, Medeia." Jane calmly stated after hearing everything she had heard so far.

[Post Word Count: 370]
[Diana's Word Count: 10,080]
[Total Word Count: 18,723]

“How could I not be after you speak so casually about it?” The angel asked in a slightly frustrated tone. She was not exactly angry with the blonde although the Warlord certainly was with whoever had hurt her but the lack of engagement was having some effect on Medeia. Engagement was key to such encounters and Jane was such a cool customer that it was rather difficult to draw much of it out. The dark haired woman was beginning to feel that her alternative method was the only real option she had to get anyway with the woman before her.

With that realisation at the forefront of her mind, she would walk over to the door and call out. Medeia knew that her maid was not going to be all that happy that she had come across another blonde so soon but there was not all that much that the Warlord could do. Besides, maybe having the purple haired woman involved today would make up for her embarrassment against Lucia? It was hard to tell with Armina but the angel was about to find out, as after about thirty seconds or so, heavy footfalls could be heard coming down the corridor.

Standing before Medeia was a tall woman, nearly six foot in height, with purple hair and crimson coloured eyes. She was a solidly built individual and it was no wonder why Medeia had once used her as a guard. Armina looked as though she was made for a fight rather than maid work, which was not all that far from the truth.

“You called for me, Mistress?” The maid asked, looking cheerful for the time being.

“Yes. I have another guest and I could use a hand.” Medeia replied.

“Hmph. After the last time, I thought I was just a source of amusement for them.” Armina huffed.

“Now, now. Do not be like that. I promise that you will enjoy this. We are going to be using cell one today.” The Warlord answered soothingly.

“Huh? You want me to take her there? Like, hands on and all?” The six footer blinked.

“Mmm. Talking is not working so I will have to try something else with dear Jane.” Medeia quipped with a smile.

The effect that had on the maid was rather startling and as soon as Medeia had moved out of the way, Armina was past her and heading straight towards the chair that the blonde was sitting on.

Behind her, Medeia sighed, realising that she might have made a slight error in calling on Armina for this particular task.

It was too late now and as the tall maid looked over the calm faced woman, she would say. “Stand up. If my Mistress has been forced into this then you must have been quite a pain to deal with. She is steaming right now, you know, even if she does not look like it. We can do this the easy or the hard way but I do like a struggle.” One look at her muscular frame would reveal that.

“Armina. She does not like being touched…” The Warlord warned.

“Then she should not have been a nuisance, Mistress.” Armina tartly stated.

(533 Words)
(19256 TWC)

Jane was expecting a slightly lengthier discussion on the matter, but apparently Medeia was not in the mood for further discussion because she soon moved away to go somewhere, then verbally summoned someone named "Armina." The blonde remained calm as she heard thunderous footsteps approach... for all she knew this dramatic scene had been prearranged and the mystery person was following the script the Warlord had laid out. When "Armina" entered the room she immediately made an impression due to a combination of height, hair color, eye color, and demeanor. It looked like Armina could suplex an average car with no trouble, but Jane was not frightened by the purple-haired individual because her rough childhood had prepared the blonde for shows of intimidation... after everything she had went through at the hands of her mother, older brother, and older sister intimidation did not work very well on her.

Jane listened calmly as Medeia instructed Armina to relocate the blonde to a location only known as "Cell One." Again the blonde thought that the whole encounter was a scripted one that had been arranged to scare her into giving up what Medeia wanted. If that was the case the Warlord was a talented scriptwriter, but Diana was not going to divulge her secrets just because Armina played her role with enthusiasm. She had the feeling that the purple-haired individual had been ordered to play the "bad guy" so that Medeia could look good by comparison.

When the conversation between the Dark mage and her underling was over Armina made a beeline for Jane and the blonde remained where she was, looking the former in the eye. Once she got within a short distance of the chair Medeia's minion stopped and brusquely ordered the blonde to get to her feet before giving the classic "offer" of being permitted to stand up herself or getting forcibly removed from her seat. Shrugging off the attempt at intimidation, Jane spoke to Armina.

"Very well then. I will do as you say." Jane said calmly before rising from her seat and standing still. She then made eye contact with the Warlord's minion and maintained it while waiting for what was going to happen next. She doubted that she was going to like what happened from here, but she was not going to break down and beg for mercy because some random hoodlum threatened her.

[Post Word Count: 398]
[Diana's Word Count: 10,478]
[Total Word Count: 19,654]

When it came to the more physical side of things, Armina was definitely the more comfortable one of the two and that would soon be apparent when she would attempt to grab the blonde haired woman and push her forwards, encouraging her in her own way to start walking. There was a no nonsense look to Armina at that point and she had no issue with lashing out at the woman if necessary. The frustration that she was carrying inside her was far greater than Medeia’s and she wanted payback for the humiliation that she had been forced to suffer in the past.

Medeia, on the other hand, would be oddly silent, leading both Jane and Armina out of the room and down a long corridor. It would be notable that the decoration that had been so lovely in her Warlord’s room only went that far and the space that Jane would be seeing now looked far more hostile. The angel despised having to take this course of action but there seemed to be little else for her to do. Words just seemed unlikely to work on such a hardened woman and Medeia had come to the conclusion that she would have to use a similar tactic that had broken through Leona’s shields. She would have to use a hammer rather than a chisel.

The maid would be rather rough and should Jane ever slow up or twitch then the purple haired woman would respond forcefully. Honestly, she was getting a kick out of the whole situation and as the three women walked, the maid would say. “It is a shame that you did not use this approach on the last blonde you had here, Mistress, I bet that coffee loving wet blanket would have cracked in a second.”

It was a poignant comment and Medeia mused about whether to respond or not. She was rather suspicious still and if Armina could reveal something with her rather loud and obnoxious manner then maybe she should let her. Still, the angel did not feel that the insult was necessary and eventually said. “I did not have to, Armina, as there was not all that much to discover. She was perfectly reasonable and I saw no reason to resort to…this.”

“No. You just had me give her my coffee recipe to make fun of me.” The maid replied, clearly still upset over said incident.

There was a chuckle then from the witch, irritating her maid more and in her annoyance, she would snap at Jane. “You do not talk much? Do you?”

(430 Words)
(20084 TWC)

Having been set into motion thanks to the forceful encouragement of Armina, Jane followed her hostess out of the room without protest and followed Medeia down a forbidding corridor that had a noticeably stark aesthetic. It sounded like Armina was trying to pick a fight with her so that she had an excuse to get physical with the blonde, but Jane would not give her the pleasure. The blonde mage silently followed Medeia at a steady pace and listened to the Warlord and her underling discuss a previous "guest" who was also a blonde... she heard a mention of how the last visitor enjoyed coffee and her mind momentarily focused on Lucia, but she was not absolutely certain that her older sister was the one being mentioned. There were plenty of young blonde women who enjoyed coffee, after all.

Jane listened to the discussion in silence and kept up with Medeia so that she could minimize the chances of getting more "encouragement" from Armina. When the purple-haired minion spoke to Jane about the latter's tendency to speak with an economy of words the blonde replied in her usual calm and to-the-point style.

"I speak only when I need to, Armina." Jane gave a calm answer to the question despite the risk of Armina taking offense to the answer and getting even rougher with her. Medeia could not have chosen a better minion to play the bad guy who was intentionally rude and used force with little provocation so that the blonde would come to despise Armina more than she did the Warlord. If that was the intent that well-worn trick was not working on Diana, who had enough room in her heart to detest both people equally. She disliked Medeia for repeatedly probing into a personal matter that was none of her business and she disliked Armina for having all the social graces of a piece of sandpaper.

If Medeia wanted to make an enemy out of the blonde she was certainly on the right track.

[Post Word Count: 336]
[Diana's Word Count: 10,814]
[Total Word Count: 20,420]

“How boring. No wonder you annoyed my Mistress.” The maid answered with a frown. “She hates having guests with no personality. They are much more fun when feisty or fearful.” Armina was clearly unimpressed with the woman before her and the purple haired woman wondered if even her Mistresses magic would be able to get anything out of the woman. The maid had seen the process before herself and had actually taken part in it willingly, in order to increase her fortitude. “Is there even anything in here?” She would then ask, attempting to rap her hand on the woman’s head as though trying to hear if it was hollow. Disrespect  was not even close to describing the maid’s actions at that point, showing nothing but raw hostility.

In front, Medeia would let this go on for a couple of reasons. One, in order to allow Armina to let off some steam and two, to see if her maid could actually get under the blonde’s skin. The witch had not honestly used any aggressive tactics with Jane and was curious to see if they would actually work with the blonde behind her. The woman was certainly strong, in both a magical and mental sense and Medeia could not help but muse about how Jane would react if she lost her temper, if anger was even something she felt. “Maybe you should just kiss her and tell her how you truly feel, my dear maid?” She eventually joked lightly.

Armina notably huffed at that, her cheeks turning slightly red at the thought. “That is not funny, Mistress, I would never want to kiss a robot, especially a blonde haired one. Kissing her would be like kissing a brick wall and just as pleasant.”

For the first time since the trio had started walking, Medeia would look over her shoulder, first at Jane and then her maid. “I do not think that is the real her, Armina, I believe there is much more to her than that. That is why we are doing this, to know for sure.” She would add after a moment. “You could be a little less rough, my dear, she is not going to run.”

Her words had little effect on Armina, who continued to be the pain in the backside that she had been from the start, much to the annoyance of the witch. There were times where her maid went too far and the purple haired woman would very soon be receiving a timeout. No doubt Armina would like it but still, she had asked for it.

Soon enough, the trio would reach a large cell, which Medeia would open the door to with a wave of her hand. It was not a pleasant sight, with the walls completely soundproof and the paintwork drab. There would be no doubt that this place was used for one purpose alone and what made it worse was the chair in the centre of the room. This was no comfortable sitting chair like in Medeia’s office, it was rather more barebones and if one was sensitive enough, they could detect the angel’s magical signature from it.

Leading the two other women inside, Medeia would turn to her maid and command. “That will be all, Armina, I will call you if I need you any further.”

The maid looked peeved and replied. “It is just getting to the fun part! Can I please stay and watch?”

“No. What happens next is between Jane and myself.” Medeia answered, her tone no nonsense at this stage.

Not wanting to tempt fate, Armina would turn to leave but not before trying to grab the back of Jane’s shirt and pulling hard in frustration. After that, she would take her leave, muttering in a low tone of voice and slamming the door behind her.

Sighing and shaking her head, Medeia would turn to Jane. “Sit down. That chair will magically bind you as soon as you sit so expect it.”

(665 Words)
(21085 TWC)